After years of thinking that gardening wasn’t really for me, I’ve finally begun to embrace it. We got started on the garden borders over the Easter holidays – yes, we were those typical DIYers at the garden centre on Good Friday, haha! And now, having a small space in my garden that we’ve planted up has got me excited about growing things this year. I’m actually enjoying being outside!
The great thing about gardening is the peaceful feeling of being surrounded by nature. I mean, we’ve only got a handful of plants and a bird table at the moment, but it’s already attracting butterflies, bees and birds. Many teachings including energy medicine, spiritual philosophies and holistic healing therapies recommend that having a garden (or bringing nature into your living space) can help you to feel centred and more relaxed. Which is why I’m sharing some low-cost gardening hacks and upcycling projects today to help you get started this sunny saturday…
Here we go!
UPCYCLED PLANTERS
The time has come to recycle and repurpose all those old containers, cups, trays, glasses, coffee mugs, canisters and colanders that you’ve been wondering what to do with. If you’ve got chipped crockery, don’t bin it – plant it! How about using some china cups as plant pots, growing tiny seedlings and foliage? If you’ve a got table in your garden space, you can even add a line of cup-and-saucer sets filled with pansies. Simply take out the container of your choice, wipe it clean, fill it with some gravel and compost, then get planting!
Using old welly boots is another great idea to plant seasonal displays. I’ve shared a DIY project to make old wellies into planters so check that out now.
JAR LANTERNS
Make your garden a little dreamier in the evenings by adding some pretty lighting to it. Take some glass jars, old glass bottles or wine bottles and give them a wash. Pop in some solar-powered fairy lights and position them around the patio or entryway. To make them sturdy, you can add colourful stones or marbles in the bottom. Alternatively, use shallow jars to hold citronella tealight candles to keep biting bugs at bay in the evenings.
HAMMOCK
If you’ve got two sturdy anchoring points in your garden, you’ve just got to have a hammock, right? I found a tutorial from my favourite YouTube DIYers The Sorry Girls that shows you how to make a hammockyourself and you could reuse old curtains, bedding or upholstery fabrics, as long as the fabric is sturdy enough for the project.
WATER FEATURE
A water feature is a relaxing addition to pretty much any location, whether it is your back garden or living room. The sound of running water is peaceful to listen to and an eco-pond will attract wildlife too. If you fancy making your own, old clay pots, canisters, terracotta bowls and old copper skillets can be used to create a tiered water feature. You’d require a base drainage system along with the pump. Now, if you’re creating an indoor water fountain, it’s a good idea to get ready-made all-in-one unit to minimise the risk of leaks in your home!
CHICKEN WIRE TOPIARY
Garden decoration isn’t all about plants, trees and flowers. You can add artwork in the form of chicken wire sculptures! From flowers to animals, there are lots of things to create out of chicken wire and you could always plant a privet bush ‘inside’ the sculpture and then trim off any leaves that grow through the wire frame to create a cool topiary shape. I love this easy succulent turtle project by GardeningInTheShade to add a fun ‘living sculpture’ to your garden.
Let me know what other items you’ve upcycled in your own garden to create eye-catching features – it would be great to hear your ideas in the comments below 🙂
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